Tyler Campbell, who spent the past two years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ben Davis, is the new head football coach at Columbus East.
Submitted photo
Tyler Campbell had a chance to play small college football, but was interested in going into the medical field, so he went to Purdue strictly for academics.
While at Purdue, Campbell coached middle school football, and he was hooked on coaching. He’s had stops in the college, XFL and high school levels. Thursday afternoon, he was announced as the new head coach at Columbus East.
“I had a bunch of knee and shoulder injuries that required surgeries,” Campbell said. “But I wanted to be a brain surgeon. I started coaching junior high football and thought, ‘This is more fun than dissecting sheep brains.’ So I got on the teaching track. My wife loves the coaching, but she sometimes reminds me that brain surgeons make a lot more than teachers.”
Tyler Campbell
Campbell played running back and cornerback at Attica High School, graduating in 2015. He began coaching at Tecumseh Middle School in Lafayette while he was at Purdue. He left Purdue for one semester in the fall of 2018 to take a job at Jackson State University.
After returning to Purdue to finish his degree in 2019, Campbell was an assistant in Illinois Wesleyan that fall. He then went to the XFL’s Dallas Renegades in 2020 as assistant quarterbacks coach. The Renegades were coached by former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, and the offensive coordinator was Hal Mumme, a former Kentucky head coach who was the offensive coordinator at Jackson State when Campbell was there.
“We were planning on staying in Dallas as long as they would have it,” Campbell said. “But COVID hit, and Vince McMahon pulled his financial backing of the league and said, ‘Ah, we’re done.’ I told my wife, who was my fiance at the time, I could be a quarterbacks (graduate assistant) and move around, or I could go coach high school, and she said, ‘I’m tired of moving around.’”
So Campbell returned to west central Indiana as head coach at Covington. After a 4-3 record in 2020, he went to Maconaquah, going 2-6, 6-4 and 7-4 in his three years there.
The past two years, Campbell has been offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ben Davis. The Giants had the 2024 Mr. Football in Mark Zachery, who now is playing at Notre Dame.
“The search for our next head football coach centered on finding the right fit — someone who embodies the values and culture of Columbus East,” East athletics director David Miller said in a news release. “We have found a leader who will continue to build a program grounded in hard work, discipline, accountability and toughness, while also bringing a strong understanding of X’s and O’s.
“From the beginning of the process, Tyler Campbell clearly stood out,” he added. “He has head coaching experience at the high school level and has served as an offensive coordinator at Ben Davis, one of the premier programs in the state. He has a proven track record of developing players, supporting coaches through professional development and emphasizing strength and conditioning to help athletes become bigger, faster and stronger. I am excited to see Tyler implement his vision for East football and build a strong football program.”
Campbell becomes only the fourth head coach in East’s half-century history. John Stafford guided the Olympians from 1975-2000, followed by Bob Gaddis from 2001-20 and Eddie Vogel from 2021-25.
East won a Class 2A state championship in 1979, a 4A title in 2013 and a 5A crown in 2017. The Olympians were 5A state runners-up in 2016 and won seven regional titles between 2011-18.
“Obviously, Ben Davis is a big brand in high school football,” Campbell said. “When I was looking to find a place to go, I wanted a place where you’re never going to look at your season and say you don’t have a chance. You want to find a place that’s the same way. I feel like Columbus East is one of those jobs. I don’t think there’s a lot of them, but the three coaches before me, the consistency they’ve built, it’s a challenge to go in and continue that and even build on it.”
Campbell and his wife Kenzie live in Indianapolis but plan on relocating to Columbus. He will teach will teach English at East after the Christmas break.
East plans to introduce Campbell at Friday night’s boys basketball rivalry game against Columbus North.
“Sustained success is always the goal,” Campbell said. “We want to win (state title) No. 4 and not only that, but set ourselves up for No. 4 and No. 5 and so on. I think if you build young men, you’re going to win a lot of football games. If we do our process well, then the outcomes will take care of themselves.”
